And now:Ish <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes:
From: Pat Morris <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sunday, August 8, 1999
American Indians Enjoy Increased Political Clout
BY LARRY BIVINS
GANNETT NEWS SERVICE
WASHINGTON -- Tribal leaders declared victory in July when the House defeated a
measure that would have forced tribes opening casinos to continue to hammer out
agreements with state governments first.
Before the vote, 50 American Indian leaders met with top House Republicans -- a
landmark day that reflected the growing political clout of tribes bolstered by a newly
vigorous, self-determined movement and financial gains from casino gambling.
"For the first time in history, the speaker of the House from any party had tribal
leaders throughout the United States here," noted Rep. J.D. Hayworth, R-Ariz., who
helped arrange the gathering.
Signs of surging tribal political power are popping up across the nation's capital --
as American Indian delegations press their issues at congressional hearings and tribes
open legislative offices across the city, donating an outpouring of cash to political
campaign committees.
Since the 1991-92 campaign cycle, Indian tribes have shelled out more than $3.3
million in soft-money contributions to the Republican and Democratic national
committees, according to data compiled by the Center for Responsive Politics. Such
donations climbed from $113,671 in the 1991-92 cycle to a high of $1.5 million in
1995-96. In the most recent election cycle, tribes spent $1.2 million in soft-money
contributions.
The donations have helped tribal leaders open doors to lawmakers of both parties. "We
didn't get a whole lot of responses when we were making baskets," said Carol Shanks, a
member of the Saginaw Chippewa tribal council in Michigan, during a recent Washington
visit.
"We're not making baskets anymore. We're making money." Operating the nation's
second-largest Indian-owned casino, the Saginaw Chippewas are putting some of that
money to political use. The tribe gave $100,000 each to the Republican and Democratic
campaign committees last year. And it is renovating a $1.5 million house on Embassy
Row as its lobbying headquarters.
"We want to be here when legislation is handed down," said tribal chairman Kevin
Chamberlain. "We have made it very clear across Indian country that this is not
something we intend to use just for ourselves."
Maintaining a steady presence in Washington has become critically important in recent
years, as some lawmakers have proposed legislation that tribal leaders consider a
threat to their sovereign rights.
Tribal advocates are just as aggressive in federal court, claiming in a federal
lawsuit that the government has for years cheated them out of billions of dollars in
royalties from Indian lands that the government is supposed to manage.
JoAnn Chase, executive director of the National Congress of American Indians, counts
almost a dozen tribes with recently established Washington offices, including the
Mashantucket Pequot Indian Tribe of Connecticut, the Navajo Nation and the Chickasaw
Tribe of Oklahoma.
"We're seeing a greater presence in Washington because it has been essential for us to
educate a largely uninformed Congress," Chase said. "Our issues are a bit more
complex, so it requires more relationship building."
The courtship of Congress is starting to pay off.
In the House, a bipartisan group of 87 members has formed the Native American
Congressional Caucus, co-chaired by Rep. Dale Kildee, D-Mich., and Hayworth. Kildee
and Hayworth led the fight on the House floor to thwart an effort to restrict Indian
gaming. At the heart of the issue was state taxation of Indian gaming revenues.
"I had to point out that Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution grants Indian tribes
tribal sovereignty," Hayworth said, "and if you wanted to tax tribes you have to tax
state lotteries."
The measure was defeated on a 217-205 vote.
"That was absolutely extraordinary," noted Kevin Gover, a Pawnee Indian who heads the
Bureau of Indian Affairs in the Interior Department. "You couldn't have gotten me to
bet a penny on that five years ago. I can't remember the last time we won a floor vote
in the House on a gaming issue."
http://www.sltrib.com/08081999/nation_w/13692.htm
Reprinted under the Fair Use http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.html doctrine
of international copyright law.
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Unenh onhwa' Awayaton
http://www.tdi.net/ishgooda/
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